Piper PA-31-350 accident near Miami, Florida, December 13, 1984
On December 13, 1984, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N40790, was substantially damaged in an accident near Miami, Florida (Miami Internationl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 13, 1984
- Place
- Miami, Florida · Miami Internationl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N40790 · no longer on the register · serial 31-8152080
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT JUDGED BY REFERENCE TO ACFT GAGES THAT HE HAD 156 GALS OF FUEL REMAINING WHEN INFACT ONLY 120 GALS OF FUEL REMAINED.ON APPROACH FOR LNDG, WHILE OPERATING ON AUX TANKS, LOW FUEL FLOW WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. PLT SWITCHED TO MAIN TANKS AND BOTH ENGINES LOST POWER SHORTLY THEREAFTER WHILE ACFT WAS ON FINAL APPROACH. PLT DID NOT ATTEMPT TO REGAIN POWER BY SWITCHING BACK TO AUX TANKS SINCE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATION INITIATED DURING AUX TANK OPERATION. RIGHT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED, OTHER GEAR SEPARATED ON FORCED LANDING SHORT OF THE RUNWAY IN ROUGH TERRAIN. ACFT MANUAL STATES LOW FUEL FLOW WARNING LIGHTS INDICATE CONDITION OF MAIN TANKS ONLY. PLT DID NOT UNDERSTAND THIS TO BE TRUE REGARDLESS OF TANK SELECTION. INVESTIGATION REVEALED MAIN TANKS CONTAINED ONLY RESIDUAL FUEL; AUX TANKS HAD APPROX 6 GALS EACH.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,600 hours in all; 115 in this make and model; 115 in the last 90 days; 4,880 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,509 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 8, 1984; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming LTI0-540-J2BD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Southern Express Airways,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: RSW Fort Myers FL
- Destination: MIA Miami FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 12, 9,600 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 190° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; not recorded at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.